Haiti Sets Long-Delayed National Elections for December Amid Security Concerns

Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has officially scheduled the nation’s first presidential and legislative elections in a decade, setting the first round for December 13. A runoff vote, if necessary, is slated for February 21, 2021, with final results expected in early March. The announcement comes after years of delays caused by political instability and rampant gang violence that has paralyzed much of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The electoral council emphasized that the success of this timeline is strictly contingent upon establishing an acceptable security climate and securing necessary international funding. Successive Haitian governments have struggled to organize polls, frequently citing the impossibility of safe voting amid gang-controlled territories. While the council has begun registering voters and approved over 300 political parties, international analysts remain skeptical that the security situation will improve enough to allow for a fair and safe democratic process by year-end.